Sacristies

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A room in a church or temple where sacred vessels and vestments are kept, and preparations for services occur
2. A designated area adjacent to a sanctuary used for storing religious items and for clergy to prepare for rituals
3. A space within a place of worship for the safekeeping of liturgical equipment and for the clergy's preparation before ceremonies

Etymology: "Sacristies" is the plural of "sacristy", and the singular has a useful root: it comes from Medieval Latin "sacristia", a room in a church where sacred objects and vestments were kept. The Latin base is "sacer", meaning holy or sacred, which also gave English words like "sacred" and "sacrament". The word reached English through Anglo-Norman "sacrestie", the French-based language spoken by the aristocracy in England after the Norman Conquest. Its meaning stayed close to the physical place: a room set aside for the church's liturgical equipment, where the priest or sacristan prepared for services.

Synonyms: vestries